John e



(No Model.)

J. R. PLANIGAN & W. E. HARRISON. KNOOKDOWN CHAIR.

' Ila-347,339. D Patented Aug. 17 1886.

' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

JOHN R. FLANIGAN AND WILLIAM E. HARRISON, OF FORT MADISON, IOWA,

ASSIGNORS TO THE FORT MADISON CHAIR COMPANY JOHN R. FLANIGAN, BOTH OFSAME PLACE.

AND THE SAID KNOCKDOWN CHAIR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 347,339, dated August17, 1886.

Application filed March 19, 1886.

.To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, J OHN R. FLANIGAN and WILLIAM E. HARRIsoN, of FortMadison, in the county of Lee and State of Iowa, have invented certainnew and useful Improvementsin Knockdown Chairs; and we do hereby declarethe following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it ap-[o pertains to make and use the same.

Our invention relates to an improvement in knockdown chairs.

- It has hitherto been customary to connect the ends of the side andback rounds of the seatframe by diagonal castings, and construct theends of the side rods to enter the posts, thereby causing the entireweight applied to the seat tobe taken by the side rounds. These havebeen liable to draw out and cause the chair to break down or stand in aloose unstable condition.

The object of our present invention is to provide a knockdown chair inwhich the cornerirons which connect the ends of the back and 2 5 siderounds of the seat, or the front and side rounds, or both back and frontand side rounds, shall have a light, strong, and neat shape, and whichshall serve as stops to prevent the displacement of the woven or braidedseat. I

A further object is ,to provide means for securely attaching the seat tothe posts, and cansing the .back and front rounds to bear theirproportion of the weight applied on the seat.

A further object is to provide a knockdown 5 chair which may be packedin a small and compact form, and which can beset up for use by theunskilled masses.

With these ends in view our invention consists in certain features ofconstruction and 40 combinations of parts, as will be hereinafterdescribed, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents the parts of the chairseparated from one another, but near their set-up adjustments.

5 Fig. 2 is a detached sectional view of one of the corners, showing thefastening-nail in its position in the post and rounds; and Fig. 3is adetached View of one of the corner-irons, showing more particularly itsconstruction.

Serial No. 195,835. (No model.)

Arepresents one of the pair of back posts connected by the back slats,a, and, if found desirable, by the low-down round a.

B represents one of the pair of front posts, connected by one or morerounds or slats, b.

The seat-frame consists of the side rounds, C, the back round, 0, andthe front round, 0'.-

E represents one of the central portions of one of the corner-irons. Itis preferably a narrow strip of iron or other suitable metal setvertically edgewise, and provided with a web or strengthening-rib, e, onits face toward the seat of the chair, thus rendering it T-shaped incross-section. It may be straight or slightly curved, as found mostdesirable. At each end of the portion E e is formed a socket, F, inwhich the side and back or front rounds, as the case may be, extend andsnugly fit. ends of the side rounds project through the sockets, whilethe ends of the back or front rounds stop flush with the end of thesocket. The adjacent ends of the sockets F are provided with flanges orribs f, which form shoulders, against which the edges of the seat abut,and which serve to prevent the displacement of the woven or braidedseat, particularly in chair-seats which gradually narrow as they extendtoward the back. The front sides of the back posts, A, are mortised toreceive the ends of the side rounds which project through the sockets F,and when the said projecting ends are in position within the mortises Gthe ends of the back round or of the front round will lie snuglyincontact with the inside of the back or front posts. A hole, 9, is madethrough the back or front posts, or both, and through the projecting endor ends of the side rounds, through which a barbed wire nail, H, isadapted to be driven into the ends of the back or front round or rounds.The socket F, in which the end of the back round is inserted, serves asa ferrule to prevent it from splitting when the nail is inserted. Thisconstruction forms a secure end support for the back and front rounds,and at the same time fastens the parts firmly together.

By constructing the front posts, front ends of the side rounds, and thefront round in the same manner as the back, the ch .ir may be The Ishipped in a completely knocked-down condition, or so completely thatthe several parts back, front, and seat may be packed in flat layers,and yet when set up for use the chair will be equally as strong as whatare commonly known as set-up chairs. The T shape of the corner-ironsadmits of a saving in metal and weight, while thestrength isnot-impaired.

It is evident that slight changes might be made in the form andarrangement of the several parts described without departing from thespirit and scope of our invention; hence we do not wish to limitourselves strictly to the construction herein set forth; but,

Having fully described our invention, what we claim as new, and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, with a corner iron adapted to unite the ends of aside and back or front round of a chair-seat and form a ferrule for theend of the back or front round, of a nail adapted to extend through thepost, side rod, and into the ferruled end of the back or front round,substantially as set forth.

2. In a knockdown chair, the combination, with legs, corner-irons,substantially as described, and the side and end rounds, of the nailspassing through the leg and side rounds and entering the ends of the endrounds, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof We have signed this specification in the presenceof two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN R. FLANIGAN. \VILLIAM E. HARRISON. Witnesses:

PETER H. FRAILEY, JOHN H. KINsLEY.

